# Water pillow in Humidor?



## lyth (Dec 25, 2011)

Hey Guys,

First poster here!

For christmas I got some cigars and a humidor (with a hygrometer).

I got: Partagas (Cuban), Romeo Y Julieta, Pom Pom (ew ahha), 2 packs of philly blunts, and some Romeo y Julieta Puritos.

They came in a baggy with a watter pillow. I accidentally ripped the bag so I want to transfer these to my humidor ASAP.

Can I just toss the water pillow into the humidor and then put the cigars in? (Until I get distilled water for the humidifier).

Or should I leave the water pillow in it for a few days to let the Humidity get to the right ammount then put the cigars in?

Thanks!
Josh


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## E Dogg (Mar 23, 2011)

Put the sticks in a Tupperware with a good seal with the water pillow until you can season the humidor correctly. That will take several days to do.

http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/vb/cigar-accessory-discussion/265096-how-herf-n-turf-seasons-new-humidor.html


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## lyth (Dec 25, 2011)

Hmm. Alright. What would happen if I just put them in my humidor with the water pillow?

Im having some folks over later (Merry Christmas, by the way!), and I'd like to have it looking "nice". (It's my boss from work. Haha, promotion time.)

Thanks!


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## AStateJB (Oct 13, 2011)

E Dogg said:


> Put the sticks in a Tupperware with a good seal with the water pillow until you can season the humidor correctly. That will take several days to do.
> 
> http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/v...5096-how-herf-n-turf-seasons-new-humidor.html


+1

Eric you beat me to it. I was in the middle of a long post and decided to double check someone hadn't already answered. Glad i did. :lol:

He's dead on lyth!

The water pillow won't be enough to maintain the humidity in an unseasoned humi. Your humidity level would be way low and dry out your cigars.

Welcome to Puff and enjoy those sticks! :welcome: Head over to the New Puffer Fish Forum and introduce yourself.


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## lyth (Dec 25, 2011)

Thanks for the welcome! I'm glad to be here.

Sweet, will do.

For temporary purposes:

Could I line the Humidor with like a plastic/zip-lock bag? This way, it'd be similar to having it in a zip-lock like it came in, but it'd be in the nice humidor. Aha.

Thanks! (Sorry for all the questions too. I just don't wanna ruin the cigars.


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## AStateJB (Oct 13, 2011)

lyth said:


> Thanks for the welcome! I'm glad to be here.
> 
> Sweet, will do.
> 
> ...


Part of the reason we're here is to answer questions. 

We're all impatient when we get a new humi, now matter how many we have or how long we've been smoking, to fill it up, BUT trust us when we tell you... Your best bet is to store the gars in temporary storage and get that humi seasoned right. You'll have a lot better means of storage in the long run which will make you that much happier with it.


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## lyth (Dec 25, 2011)

Alright. 

My other question is...

My hygrometer is analog, and my humidifier is just a sponge in a black vented container (came with brand new humidor), that I soak distilled water in.

Is there a guide on the site for seasoning a humidor properly with the stuff I have? I can't afford the humidifier pellets or whatever they're called (and I cant afford the solution that you can use instead of distilled water.)

Thanks!


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## AStateJB (Oct 13, 2011)

lyth said:


> Alright.
> 
> My other question is...
> 
> ...


Analog hygros are notorious for being wildly inaccurate. You can do a salt test http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/vb/cigar-accessory-discussion/280846-how-do-salt-test.html to find out how far it is off.

You can also pick up a digital combo thermometer/hygrometer at walmart for about $8 that is fairly accurate. That is what i use. It's only off by about 4%.

The humidifiers that come with humis are also notorious... They are a pain when it comes to regulating humidity and are bad about causing mold. The PG solution is supposed to help control both those. Beads or unscented crystal style kitty litter are the best media for regulating humidity.

To season just follow these simple steps http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/v...5096-how-herf-n-turf-seasons-new-humidor.html and you're good to go. :thumb:


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## lyth (Dec 25, 2011)

I'm in Canada, so I am unsure if my local walmart would carry that./ 

I unfortunately cant afford any of the solution and such.

Would it be fine to use my humidor with distilled water and the analog hygrometer for a few weeks until I get paid?

Thanks!


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## AStateJB (Oct 13, 2011)

People have been using plain distilled water and the humidifier that comes with humis for ages... As long as you keep a close eye on it, it will work. You'll definitely want to test your hygrometer though so you know for sure where your humidity level is.

I was just offering some suggestions to look into for long term.


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## lyth (Dec 25, 2011)

I'll do the salt test right now! 

My analog hygrometer actually came with instructions on how to do it


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## AStateJB (Oct 13, 2011)

That's nice of them! A lot of them just throw the hyro in there and leave you to fend for yourself. :lol: Some analogs are adjustable with a flathead screwdriver, via a slot in the back. If yours is you can adjust it after the salt test and it should stay reasonably close to accurate. If it's not, just make a note of how far it's off so you can keep track. 

Good luck with the new humi! I'm sure with the help of the rest of us Puffers you'll have it filled soon and be looking for more storage.


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## lyth (Dec 25, 2011)

Yep! Mines adjustable 

and aha, yeah! Cigars are yum.


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## AStateJB (Oct 13, 2011)

lyth said:


> Cigars are yum.


INDEED!  Once you build up some stock and meet the requirements, look into doing the Noobie Sampler Trade. http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/vb/cigar-pifs-maws/274217-noobie-sampler-trade.html

There are plenty of highly experienced Brothers and Sisters Of The Leaf here that would take pleasure in destroying your mailbox with a nice cigar bomb! :evil:


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## lyth (Dec 25, 2011)

It's been in the bag with salt in a cap for about an hour now. It's sitting firmly at 73 or 74%. Hopefully it stays around here. 

Whats the optimal percent?


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## AStateJB (Oct 13, 2011)

If it's reading 73/74 on the salt test you got LUCKY! That's probably the best i've heard of from an included analog!

Different people store their cigars at different RHs, but the general consensus is around 65 for nonCubans, 60 for CCs. I keep mine around 65. I've found that higher than that, they don't smoke as well... (they won't stay lit or they burn badly/tunnel) And below that they dry out and tend to lose flavor, get fragile and burn too fast.


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## lyth (Dec 25, 2011)

So, I'll have to adjust this after the allotted time in the bag? As its at 74ish, I should make it around 60 something? (I'll be storing an assortment of different brands, types, countries of cigars).

Also, am I able to use tap water instead of distilled water?

If not; I see some videos on youtube on how to make your own distilled water. Should I do this? or just go out in buy it during the christmas rush?


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## bazookajoe (Nov 2, 2006)

lyth said:


> So, I'll have to adjust this after the allotted time in the bag? As its at 74ish, I should make it around 60 something? (I'll be storing an assortment of different brands, types, countries of cigars).
> 
> Also, am I able to use tap water instead of distilled water?
> 
> If not; I see some videos on youtube on how to make your own distilled water. Should I do this? or just go out in buy it during the christmas rush?


The hygrometer is used to tell you the relative humidity in the humidor. Ideally for the salt test it should read around 75% plus or minus a percent or two and the whole point of the test is to see if the hygrometer is accurate, and setting it to 75% if it's not. Changing it to some other number won't change the humidity and will simply make it inaccurate.

There is ongoing debate about tap water but if yours is clean you can use it. In the long run it's best to use distilled because there will be less potential for mold and other impurities.

Premixed cigar juice is expensive but your local pharmacy might have propylene glycol in pint bottles for around $5, enough to make plenty of your own pretty much forever.

Oh, and putting your cigars in the humidor with the water pillow for 1 day to make things look nice for your guests won't hurt the cigars or dry them out.


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## AStateJB (Oct 13, 2011)

David is correct. A salt test reading should be 75% so your hygro is almost dead on accurate and NO adjustment is needed. Once you have your humi seasoned try to keep the right amount of water in there to keep the hygro reading around 65%. That will keep your sticks, NC and CC, burning and smoking good. 

When you can, I would suggest buying some 65%RH HeartFelt, or comparable, beads or some crystal kitty litter. These will hold a steady RH MUCH better than the foam humidifier. There are multiple threads on here that discuss kitty litter and how to set it up, if you decide to go that route.


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## lyth (Dec 25, 2011)

Awesome! Thanks guys.

I just noticed that my hygrometer has been in the bag with the salt and water for about 3ishh hours now. It was near 75% before, and now its dropped to about 72%. Is this okay?


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## E Dogg (Mar 23, 2011)

you will want to do the salt test for at least 48 hours. But like David said, keeping them in the humidor just for today to look good won't harm anything. Maybe just get through the day and then do the appropiate things it takes for proper storage. 

Most importantly, have fun with all of this and yeah, Merry Christmas


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## lyth (Dec 25, 2011)

Are you sure for 48 hours? A guide here says 6, and my hygrometer says 4. It seems to be sitting at 72-74%, ever since I started.


Merry Christmas to you also!


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## E Dogg (Mar 23, 2011)

I'm sure there are varying opinions on this. I have a boveda calibration kit that I thought was the same thing as doing the salt test and it says 24 -36 hours. Sorry, I had thought it said 48 but just looked at it again. I think the longer you do it, the more accurate the reading, but I could be wrong (I've been known to be wrong before :wink I guess if you're confident in your test, then that's all that really matters.


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